source: williamtillis
When it comes to our yard, my husband’s and my goal is to create simple landscaping that invites our children to explore and enjoy being outside. We try not to include plants or features that will lead to us saying, “No,” “Don’t touch that,” “Be careful,” et cetera all the time.
Here are a few tips of my tips for creating a kid friendly yard:
1. Emphasize open space.
I know that the size of your yard plays a role in this and for some people, it just might not be possible to leave much open space. But when possible, leaving open space invites children to explore, imagine and just play. It also leaves them more room to run around and get their extra energy out, which is always a good thing!
2. Plant a variety of flowers and plants.
Having a variety of plants – and/or fruits and veggies – growing in your yard or garden allows kids to watch the natural progression as plants grow, bud and flower. They get to see the flowers fall off and the plants go dormant in the fall and winter. They’ll see firsthand the effects of different amounts of rain and sun on the plants. And the flowers will attract butterflies, honeybees and other insects for kids to observe as well.
3. Be aware of safety concerns.
Avoid plants and flowers that are poisonous and landscaping that poses a danger. If your children are young, this would include water features that have even a small pool of water as well as stone work with sharp edges. Keep children out of tall grasses until they’re old enough to watch for snakes. Avoid pesticides and fertilizers in areas where kids may play in the grass or pick flowers. Providing a safe environment means your children will be able to enjoy the yard more often because you won’t have to hover over them when they’re outside.
4. Have a space to build or create.
Most children love to dig and build and discover. Having a sandbox or an area of your yard that can be dug up without ruining your beautiful yard will make everyone happy. We don’t have many outdoor toys, but shovels and buckets are on the must-have list!
Last week, Tsh launched the latest Sound Mind, Sound Mom Book Club feature at Simple Mom. Last Child in the Woods, by Richard Louv, is an incredible book and a veritable goldmine of information about the role of nature in children’s development – and the danger of not being exposed to enough of it. I hope you’ll join us as we read the book and discuss it together on the Simple Mom forums!
Do you have a kid friendly yard? Have you found the balance between having a beautiful yard and one that the whole family can enjoy?
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Great post Mandi, and very appropriate for me since we are doing a huge re-design landscaping project out front. (Laying concrete footers with rebar, pavers, steps, retaining wall, and new plantings…you get the idea.) One of the things I thought about when designing our landscape is the amount of time it would take me to up-keep and what kind of up-keep it would require. I am trying to incorporate some landscaping that requires maintanence that we can do as a family, like planting annuals in urns each spring to watch the flowers grow. I am also trying to limit other time consuming maintanence that will take me away from spending time with the kids like dividing plants, purning bushes, weeding, sealing, and pressure washing. These are just my two cents! Thanks again for a great post.
Abbie
Our yard is kid friendly! We even have a special garden, “The Children’s Garden”. All this for our granddaughter, with more grandchildren on the way. I can’t wait to blog about it. I plan to have before and after pictures. Coming soon!